﻿464 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  called 
  Cacya 
  in 
  Kauri) 
  is 
  easily 
  the 
  most 
  active 
  of 
  the 
  spirits, 
  the 
  most 
  

   feared 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  most 
  intimately 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  daily 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  

   people. 
  The 
  Ccoa 
  brings 
  lightning 
  and 
  hail; 
  destroys 
  the 
  crops 
  and 
  

   kills 
  with 
  his 
  lightning. 
  This 
  malevolent 
  spirit 
  is 
  the 
  sponsor 
  of 
  

   the 
  sorcerers, 
  choosing 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  to 
  serve 
  him 
  and 
  providing 
  

   them 
  with 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  sorcery. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  people 
  are 
  divided 
  

   into 
  two 
  classes: 
  those 
  who 
  serve 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  and 
  those 
  who 
  fight 
  

   against 
  him. 
  The 
  former 
  are 
  rich; 
  their 
  fields 
  are 
  never 
  injured 
  by 
  

   frost 
  or 
  hail: 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  poor; 
  their 
  fields 
  yield 
  poorly, 
  and 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  their 
  families 
  are 
  often 
  ill. 
  

  

  The 
  Ccoa 
  is 
  usually 
  described 
  as 
  a 
  catlike 
  animal 
  standing 
  some 
  16 
  

   inches 
  (40 
  cm.) 
  high 
  by 
  24 
  inches 
  (60 
  cm.) 
  long, 
  gray 
  in 
  color 
  with 
  

   black 
  stripes 
  running 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  his 
  body. 
  His 
  eyes 
  are 
  phospho- 
  

   rescent; 
  his 
  tail 
  about 
  12 
  inches 
  (30 
  cm.) 
  long 
  and 
  1% 
  inches 
  (3 
  cm.) 
  in 
  

   diameter. 
  His 
  head 
  is 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  cat, 
  

   and 
  he 
  is 
  most 
  often 
  seen 
  with 
  hail 
  running 
  out 
  of 
  his 
  eyes 
  and 
  ears. 
  

   The 
  Kauri 
  view 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  lives 
  at 
  Ausangate, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  high- 
  

   est 
  peaks 
  in 
  southern 
  Peru 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  kilometers 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  

   village. 
  There 
  in 
  the 
  rainy 
  season 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  prepares 
  for 
  his 
  journeys 
  

   for 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  harvest. 
  The 
  hail 
  is 
  his 
  method 
  for 
  stealing 
  

   the 
  crops 
  at 
  harvest 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  characteristic 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  is 
  his 
  anger, 
  which 
  can 
  

   be 
  palliated 
  by 
  proper 
  offerings. 
  A 
  typical 
  offering 
  to 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  wine, 
  incense, 
  gold 
  and 
  silver 
  tinsel, 
  llama 
  

   tallow, 
  ccafiihua, 
  and 
  huairuro 
  (a 
  tropical 
  seed 
  product), 
  which 
  is 
  

   burned 
  on 
  some 
  high 
  ground. 
  Sorcerers, 
  since 
  they 
  are 
  men 
  who 
  have 
  

   entered 
  into 
  contract 
  with 
  the 
  Ccoa, 
  must 
  be 
  especially 
  careful 
  to 
  

   make 
  proper 
  offerings 
  or 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  struck 
  dead. 
  The 
  Ccoa 
  will 
  do 
  

   his 
  worst 
  when 
  he 
  receives 
  unsatisfactory 
  offerings 
  made 
  by 
  sorcerers, 
  

   when 
  infants 
  die 
  without 
  being 
  baptized, 
  and 
  when 
  people 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   fight 
  off 
  the 
  hail. 
  Whether 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  can 
  act 
  independently 
  or 
  merely 
  

   follow 
  the 
  instructions 
  of 
  the 
  Aukis 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  on 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  disagreement 
  among 
  informants. 
  Moreover, 
  some 
  inform- 
  

   ants 
  rule 
  out 
  the 
  Ccoa 
  altogether 
  and 
  substitute 
  Santiago, 
  who 
  is 
  an 
  

   ambivalent 
  deity, 
  causing 
  the 
  hail 
  and 
  lightning 
  on 
  one 
  hand 
  and 
  

   protecting 
  crops 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  malevolent 
  spirits 
  in 
  Kauri 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  infants 
  (the 
  duen- 
  

   des) 
  who 
  die 
  or 
  are 
  destroyed 
  before 
  baptism. 
  These 
  may 
  be 
  highly 
  

   dangerous 
  to 
  the 
  parents 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  community. 
  Their 
  bodies 
  

   are 
  usually 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  hills 
  by 
  old 
  men, 
  who 
  cannot 
  be 
  harmed 
  by 
  

   the 
  duendes, 
  and 
  there 
  burned. 
  The 
  ash 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  infant 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  

   as 
  a 
  cure 
  against 
  soccahuayra 
  (illness 
  caused 
  by 
  malignant 
  winds), 
  a 
  

   match-box 
  full 
  selling 
  for 
  15 
  centavos. 
  The 
  ash 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  possesses 
  

   no 
  curative 
  properties 
  and 
  is 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  lake. 
  If 
  the 
  unbaptized 
  

   infants 
  are 
  buried, 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  Ccoa 
  will 
  eventually 
  find 
  them, 
  

  

  